World's best airlines 2010

The world’s best airlines – 2010

The Skytrax 2010 World Airline Awards was revealed on May 20 with South Korea’s Asiana Airlines topping the list. Skytrax awards are regarded as the big one for the airlines, which is decided by a survey of almost 18 million world air travellers over a 10 month period. The airlines are judged on comfort of seating, cabin crew, quality of food, lounges and customer service

The top 10 airlines:

1. Asiana Airlines

2. Singapore Airlines

3. Qatar Airlines

4. Cathay Pacific

5. Air New Zealand

6. Etihad Airways

7. Qantas Airways

8. Emirates

9. Thai Airways

10. Malaysia Airlines

Travelling between New Zealand and Europe on a regular basis means I have had the opportunity to use six of the above airlines. Airlines from the Asian continent seem to always dominate the top 10 positions each year and it’s not hard to see why. The level of service across the board is second to none, with Singapore Airlines my personal favourite, followed very closely by Cathay Pacific. I was fortunate enough to travel NZ to UK business class with Emirates on the new A380 (double decker) in January. Although a fantastic plane, the level of service in no way matched the Asian airlines.

We choose particular airlines to travel with for many reason, the main one being cost. The most expensive does not mean you will receive the best service, of which I found out myself recently. Always shop around because prices can vary for the same flight and save you $$$$$$. When you decide on the airline you will fly with, join their Frequent Flyer Program through their website prior to making your booking. You will get your membership immediately and generally they are free to join, also many airlines now belong to an alliance which gives you a wider choice when using the air miles you have accumulated. When you have found the airline you will travel with, it’s fairly easy to find the type of plane you will be travelling on i.e. B747, A340. Then go to seatguru.com (not sure if I can put full link in), pick out the airline then the type of plane. You will be able to pick your seat number when you make the booking if it’s available. Run your cursor over the seat number and it will give you some useful information. On the same page you can also get information about seat pitch, entertainment system, AC power and much more. Another very useful site is airlinequality.com which I use if I have not used a specific airline before.

Other awards presented by Skytrax:

Best Economy Class    Malaysia Airlines

Best Cabin Staff    Singapore Airlines

Best Premium Economy Class    Qantas Airlines

Best In-flight Entertainment    Emirates

Best Business Class   Qatar Airways

Best Low Cost Airline   Air Asia

Most Improved Airline   Garuda Indonesia